This year's big Android update, Android 13, is officially launching now for Google's Pixel phones, the search giant has publicized. The once a year upgrade is getting an official launch a little earlier than typical, following Android 12's launch last October and also Android 11's release back in September of 2020.
The lineup of improvements arriving in this year's variation of Android is likely to be no stranger to if you've been keeping track of Android 13's beta releases. There's the feature to individualize non-Google app icons to go with your homescreen wallpaper that we observed in Android 13's first developer preview, a new permission to minimize notification spam, and also a new option to limit which of your photos and videos an app can access.
The update incorporates assistance for spatial audio with head tracking, that is built to make sounds look as though they're originating from a fixed point in space when you move your head while wearing compatible headphones, similar to a function Apple offers for its AirPods. Today's article doesn't say precisely which headphones this will work with, but Google earlier disclosed it would be up-dating its Pixel Buds Pro to offer support for spatial audio.
Secondly, there's the capability to stream messages from apps such as Google Messages directly to a Chromebook, identical to iMessage on the Mac. It's one other feature that Google described in January. Alongside its own Messages app, one of Google's promotional resources also displays this operating with the messaging app Signal, and the firm says the feature will function with "many of your many other favorite messaging apps." The upgrade likewise incorporates a feature that helps you copy content from an Android phone to be pasted on an Android tablet and vice versa.
Some other Android 13 attributes include the capability to set up languages on a per-app basis, an upgraded media player that adjusts its look based on what you're listening to, support for Bluetooth Low Energy for superior sound quality at lower bitrates and also reduced latency, enhanced multitasking on large-screen units with drag and drop support for multitasking, and also better palm rejection when utilizing styluses.
This Android update will be coming to phones from many other producers including Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, HMD, Motorola, Realme, Sony, Xiaomi, and Asus later this year, Google's Sameer Samat announces in the news blog post. For additional particulars on the changes coming in the update, look at Google's blog post over here